Meet Savannah McCarter of Santa Clarita

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah McCarter

Savannah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been a performer since childhood. I grew up in Santa Clarita so I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to get training from so many people in the entertainment industry. Funny enough, I actually started with figure skating as a toddler but it was too cold for me so it wasn’t a great fit. After that I moved to dancing and singing. I first started dance as a child with ballet and hip hop and the first vocal training I had was in the 5th grade. For years, I couldn’t actually sing on pitch though. I was consistently flat and 3 different vocal coaches told me I just couldn’t sing, but I was very determined because I loved it. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school when my choir teacher taught me a life changing trick where she took an elbow shaped piece of pvc pipe that channeled the sound of my voice from my mouth to my ear. This allowed me to hear that I was in fact not singing the correct notes and helped train my ear to modify. I am so grateful to her, because of her training, hours of practicing, and sheer determination I have the voice I have today. I’ve gotten to play dream roles such as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Serena in Legally Blonde, Eva in Bring it On, Morticia Addams in the Addams Family and I am currently playing Andrina in Disney’s The Little Mermaid performed by the Santa Clarita Regional Theatre. I’m also working on a pop album with my husband Timmy McCarter as my producer! The first single will be called California Sunset and will be released late summer 2024!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can’t say it’s always been the smoothest road but it was one worth taking. I grew up in an unstable environment where I didn’t feel safe and later in life I was diagnosed with PTSD from it. The theatre was always my safe space. At times, a bad situation at home would deeply affect me but once I got to the theatre and got to be around such loving people it always helped me feel less alone. I loved being around other kind artists and creating something together. It was very healing to have a place to go that brought me joy, a sense of fulfillment and amazing lifelong relationships. I actually met my husband Timmy through theatre. We did Mary Poppins together in 2015.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would say I’m a singer/actor/dancer. I specialize in Musical Theatre, Pop Music and I was a party princess all over Los Angeles for almost 10 years. I’m most proud of being a professional singer and getting to connect with people. Little me would be so in awe if she knew and that’s really special. I think that there are so many amazingly talented people out there that it’s hard to say what sets me apart from the others but if I were to pick one I’d say my perspective. Kindness is deeply important to me and I think it’s always important to treat others with it because you never know what someone is going through. I try to bring as much love and light into the world as I can. Performing is a great way to bring joy to others and connect with people on a deeper level.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
It might feel silly but the elbow shaped pvc pipe to hear your voice works wonders. For singing, I think it’s important to get a vocal coach or join a choir because if you sing through your throat vs your diaphragm/mask you can hurt your vocal cords. I would recommend learning to read sheet music and practice singing everyday even if it’s in the shower or in the car. Vocal warm ups are essential because you don’t want to strain anything especially with belting or really high notes. I think it would’ve been helpful if I could tell my younger self that learning to sing is a journey not a destination. I always wanted to be a singer and felt impatient with my progress but now that I’m older I’ve learned that there’s always more to learn so just relax and enjoy the music.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @savmccarter